YJ Interview: A Darn Good Yarn

The only child of a Protestant minister and an artistic mother, Cyndi Lee grew up in Seattle but has spent her adult life in New York City. Lees father, a pastor at a Disciples of Christ church in Seattle, had an enormous influence on her path. I had a very cool dad, says Lee, recalling how he marched in demonstrations with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. Today, she feels as though shes carrying on his work. Im doing the same job as my dad; it just has a different shape, she says. Im helping people connect to themselves and create community.

When did you first practice yoga?

In the 70s, at Chapman College in Southern California. By then I was reading Paramahansa Yoganandas Autobiography of a Yogi, chanting, and loving it.

What did you study in college?

I was a dance major. My senior thesis was a film on women, Eastern spirituality, and dance. I performed an Indian dance with mudras and a yoga sequence, to a Tagore poem.

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Did you dance professionally?

Yes, I moved to New York after college with my juggler boyfriend. I was no Merce Cunningham, but I was getting grants and nice bookings.

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You incorporate Buddhist teachings into your classes. How did you get into Buddhism?

My friend Philip Glass, the composer, turned me on to his teacher. One way to choose a teacher is by his students. Philip Glass is one of the nicest, most generous people I know. I met his teacher, Gehlek Rinpoche, and was immediately into it.

Why did it speak to you?

Gehlek Rinpoche is one of the high lamas. He was a schoolmate of the Dalai Lama, so he had the same teachers and schooling. Hes warm and loving, and he teaches dharma with a lot of stories, and those stories stick with you. What made you stop dancing? I got burned out on the business aspect. I really wanted to go deeper into my practice.

So what happened next?

I started doing a lot more yoga and going on retreat. And I started teaching aerobics.

Aerobics?

They were more like dance classes. Then I was asked to teach a spinning class and combine it with meditation. I said, Whatever, Ill try it. We rode the bikes slowly while I read them Zen stories.

Was it weird to combine spinning and meditation?

Rinpoche said that as long as I thought it was helping people, it was OK. And thats been my mandate. If its not helpful, how can I shift it to make it helpful?

Do you see any similarities between yoga and your hobby, knitting?

Knitting is definitely a practice in being mindful. If you space out, youll have a hole in your fabric. But unlike in yoga, you create a tangible object. Its both a process and a project. For me, the process is extremely delicious.

What else do you do in your spare time?

Lie on the couch with a murder mystery. Hang out with my poodle, Leroy. Or have What is the nature of the mind and the universe? conversations with friends. Thats almost as much fun as lying on the couch with a murder mystery.